Day Two: Online Archery Carnival Challenge: Captain Hook

Welcome to Day TWO of the Online Archery Carnival!

Read the May 24 post for information on the Carnival and how to participate.  Each Carnival Challenge will be communicated in the following format.  You can choose to submit a video or a photo to our Instagram or Facebook pages to demonstrate your participation and help other participants feel the momentum of the event. Instructions on how to do that and what # to use are also found on the March 24 blog post.

Day Two Challenge

Captain Hook

Description of Challenge & Performance

If Captain Hook was to shoot archery and draw back the string with his “Hook” hand, that “Hook” would never change shape from the moment “Hook” was set all the way through shot execution. After all, it is a metal Hook (or so I have heard). Your Hook should also not change!

For this challenge,

1. Begin by warming up!
   1. 25 repetitions using a stretch band under your foot to practice proper Hook posture.  Make sure you are actively engaging your thumb and pinky – pulling them back independently.  Touching the thumb and pinky is NOT a requirement and often gives archers a “false positive” pertaining where the thumb and pinky are in space.
   2. 5  mini arm circles forward, 5 mini circles back, 5 medium circles forward, 5 medium circles back, 5 large circles forward, 5 large circles back
   3. 10 Up and Overs with your bow stringer or some other static (non-stretchy) cordage.
2. CHALLENGE: Perform 100 repetitions of the complete shot cycle with a stretch band while remaining hyper aware of the posture of your Hook all the way through your shot cycle.  If the overall structure / posture of your hook changes over the course of the shot cycle, START OVER, and do not continue on with the rest of your shot cycle.  Use a mirror or video so that you get immediate feedback.  Many people are not aware that their Hook collapses during the end of Set Up, draw or perhaps during the process of anchor.
   1. For stretch band/string placement and pressure: Try string just ahead of the first crease of top finger, just behind or in first crease of second finger and on the pad of the third finger.  Start out with most pressure on top finger.  Try to maintain that pressure on top finger throughout shot, though pressure may shift to middle finger.  Least amount of pressure should be on bottom finger.
3. Log the Quality of each Hook throughout the shot cycle using a Log like the one below.

 

 

 

 

 

Knowledge Outcome

Athlete will know what proper hook looks like and be able to self assess in picture or videos as to when their Hook posture is proper or if it collapsed.  The photo below shows proper Hook posture and was taken from Tyler Benner and KiSik Lee’s 3rd edition of Total Archery: Inside the Archer which are available for sale on the Sattva Online Store HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Skill Outcome

• Athlete will be able to feel what proper hook feels like and self assess (by feel) that hook has either changed or remained the same.
• Hook will include index finger pointing back towards the archer as much as possible; fingers will make a staircase like pattern, with the ring finger having the least purchase on the string yet not slipping or coming off the string during the later phases of the shot cycle.

Materials Needed

• Stretch Band
• Mirror

Criteria for Assessment & Feedback

• Does your hook posture look the same when you are in Hook as it does one you achieve Holding?  If not, identify where along the shot cycle it is disintegrating.  Fix it by working on that particular phase of the shot cycle over and over until you can maintain hook through all phases.
• In the top picture, the smiley face photo, the top of the hook hand, wrist and draw arm all make a nice clean line.  In the top image of that series, there are multiple peaks and valleys as you travel along the top of the hook hand, wrist and then top edge of the drawing arm.  Make it clean! No peaks and valleys.  Wrist popped out slightly.  Same for barebow and Olympic.

Scaled Options

• Perform 100, 75, or 50 repetitions with a stretch band.  Scaled up version involves 50 more repetitions, with a bow.  Can you transfer the skill developed with the stretch band to the bow?

Video or Photo Submission Criteria for this Challenge

• Video: Take one video of you performing the Challenge as described above – place on your Facebook feed and tage @SattvaArchery.  Or on Instagram using #archerycarnival2020 and #sattvaarchery or e-mail or text them to Coach Kyle using Sattva contact info.
• If Photos: Get photos of Hook at Set, the end of Set Up, just before anchor process begins, and at Holding.